Constructing Phylogenetic Trees: The Whippo Story

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Summary

An interactive lecture in which students are presented with three sets of data from which they draw phylogenetic trees. These trees can then be collected and projected in class. The data include habitat and feeding behavior, skeletons, and DNA sequences. This allows students to see that biological theories must change as new data is discovered. It also forces students to explore which attributes of an organism are the most important in determining relatedness.

Learning Goals

For students to analyze data and generate phylogenetic trees.

For students to learn that their models may need to be modified as more data is collected.

For students to identify which attributes are the most important in determining relatedness between species.

Context for Use

We use this in large lecture settings (100+ freshman undergraduates). Students work in groups to draw their trees on half sheets of paper. These are then collected and projected and discussed in class. This immediate formative assessment is key in students learning from what they drew, and from the work of their peers. The process is then repeated two more times with new data, thus the students may have to modify their models as the skeletal and DNA data are integrated.

Teaching Materials

The teaching materials consist of a powerpoint presentation. You can also give the students a table to fill out to help organize the data they are collecting in lecture.